CASTLE ROCK– Summer is usually a slow time of the year when you work at a school. Nutrition services employees don’t find that to be the case. that to be the case.
“We were at 28,000 last year, and I’m hoping to hit 40,000 this year,” explains Jenn Peifer, the Manager of Operations for Nutrition Services.
These meals make a difference.
“A lot of the time I just have to, like, prepare my own stuff, and it’s easier if I come here,” says 9th Grader Audrey Gerdes. On this day she’s enjoying a Philly cheese steak wrap at Castle View with her friend Tabitha, who adds, “It’s easier on my mom for me to come here.”
The cafeterias are not the only places that customers are enjoying the food.
“We’re at 13 sites this summer throughout Castle Rock, Parker, and Highlands Ranch,” says Peifer.
One of these locations is Phillip S. Miller Park in Castle Rock.
Along with the quality of the food and added convenience, people do seem to enjoy one other thing - the cost. “Nothing. Nothing! It’s free,” students Zach and Asa explain while taking a break from playing in the fountains.
“It’s open to any kid,” says Peiffer. “There are no requirements, there are no preconceived notions about who are coming to eat at our sites.”
A little help with a lot of kids is a big deal. Castle View’s kitchen manager Mark Coutu knows from experience.
“Me and my wife have five kids. It’s not cheap. It’s expensive,” says Coutu.
It’s part of what drives him and his team to keep getting more and more meals into the community.
“It’s really been amazing - the impact we’ve been able to make in a short amount of time.”
To find out more about DCSD’s Free Summer Lunch program, visit
http://www.dcsdnutritionservices.org/summer-lunch-program